A nice plan for all of life, not just eating, right? Love this quote from Gregg Krech’s book, The Art of Taking Action: Lessons from Japanese Psychology. Isn’t it interesting that how we approach part of our life becomes how we approach all of our life … gulping and cramming and acting thoughtlessly in any area tends to spill into others.

Conversely, acting thoughtfully, consciously, and with intention in one area also tends to spill into others.

Give yourself the gift of taking time to savor the day! Start with food, or start anywhere that makes sense for you.

Real fruit rots, bruises, has odors and attracts flies. It also is full of healthy vitamins, minerals, living enzymes, fiber, and all sorts of things we don’t even understand yet! To hold onto its sweet goodness, you can freeze it, cook it, dehydrate it, ferment it into delicious kombuchas, or more … but for goodness sake (literally), don’t buy it in packages laced with chemicals, added sugars and fats, and natural/artificial flavors and colors! That’s not fruit, it’s frankenfruit, and your body deserves better.

The great thing about this is that we can make this choice whenever we want – we don’t have to wait for a new year, a new week, or a new season to make choices that will bring on a “new you!”

And the most awesome choice of all is to free yourself from the tyranny of having to make and re-make this decision again and again … to decide, once and for all, that the only foods for you are the ones that promote wellness and vitality – that the rest is not worthy of the word “food” in your world. Eat Yourself Well!

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Some packaged foods, most sold on the basis of so-called convenience, hardly deserve to be called “food” at all! Don’t let marketers of the Standard American Diet trick you into these 5 imposters … particularly when real food is SO delicious!

When people say, “I’m trying to cut out (insert favorite junk food here)”, I remind them that thinking “I can’t have this treat” feels like punishment, but raising your food standards is empowering. Or to say it another way, what marketers have sold to you as a TREAT is actually a TRICK.

Another unconscious eating trap I’ve seen (and experienced) is forgetting about the visual part of eating. Marketers know that if you have a beautiful table setting and food arrangement, diners will mistake fast food for haute cuisine. And many dieters have reported that when they involve several senses in their meals, they feel full faster and longer! So, it’s worth the few extra moments it takes to think through how to make your meal more visually appealing: thoughtful plating, a sprinkle of fresh parsley, or similar! And just in case you’re interested, the simple recipe for the mushroom salad is below.

Super-Simple Mushroom Pasta Salad (pictured above)

Serves 2

3 cups (or more if you like) of fresh mushrooms – whatever you have on hand – cleaned and chopped if they are large
3 cups (or more if you like) of greens – a mix of bitter winter baby greens is delicious with this
1 cup of cooked pasta (dried or fresh)
Couple of dashes of vinegar (I prefer white wine vinegar)
Two “glugs” of high quality olive oil – one for the pan, one for the salad
Salt
Pepper

Prep the mushrooms and heat a cast iron or similar skillet with a bit of olive oil. When hot, toss in the mushrooms, and cook for about 10-15 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring/flipping occasionally, until slightly browned.

Note: do not use a nonstick pan if you can help it. In addition to releasing chemicals, these pans keep the mushrooms from browning properly.

In the meantime, wash the greens, cut if necessary, and dry. First toss in the vinegar, then a pinch of salt, then toss with olive oil. (Order is important – if you start with the olive oil, the vinegar will slide off.)

When the mushrooms are ready, toss in the cooked pasta (great way to use cold leftover pasta) until the pasta is warmed through. Add fresh ground pepper, taste, add salt if needed, and then plate the salad with the mushroom/pasta mix over it.

One of the first steps to healthier eating is to become more aware of what and when you’re eating.

For most of us (me included), mealtimes can devolve into a handful here, a handful there … and before you know it, you’re full and you don’t even really remember enjoying food at all! One simple step to help break this pattern is to commit to lighting a candle before taking a bite, any time you have a meal or snack. This one small change has helped lead many people to seemingly effortless changes in their habits … simply by bringing awareness and focus to the food in front of them.

This is Day 1 of 7 Days of Eating Consciously tip … don’t miss the next one – use the button in the upper right of this page to subscribe to the blog!